Parenting and homeschooling six children has been, by far, the wildest ride of my life yet. The month of January was a particular roller coaster-ish one. When Jamie mentioned that we were sharing our “day in the life,” I inwardly cringed. I would have loved to present a picture perfect image and a schedule to match.

But, alas, that is not my reality.

I’m over at Simple Homeschool sharing what a real day looks like for the FishFam. Hop on over and check it out!

A Day in My Life is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Head’s up! If you make a purchase through the Amazon link in this post, I do receive a small percentage of the sale.

As I mentioned last week, we’re undergoing some major home(school) renovations around here. I’ve had my nose in books and homeschooling blogs and forums for the last week or so. I’ve also received a handful of book shipments with fresh meat.

Yes, we’re going to enjoy the rest of this year — or else.

For the curious, I am rereading The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, a book that I read when it was first released in 1999. My original copy is falling apart at the seams. Since the book has been revised twice since its original release, I splurged on a new, 1oth anniversary edition that has been updated for out-of-print-books as well as new resources that have come on the scene in the last decade.

The world is a very different place than it was ten years ago. Yes, I’m waxing old woman right now. But, seriously. We had dial-up. Very slow, takes-five-minutes-to-load-a-page dial-up. And very few blogs were on the internet, at least for the masses. Homeschooling resources were not as sophisticated as they are now.

Yes, things have changed. I can buy a book and instantly download it to my Kindle, faster than I can can take a breath. I can communicate with folks all over the world in a matter of seconds. In all my research, I found that there’s even an ipad app for my 9th grader’s Biology curriculum. Go figure.

So, a lot of my research this last week has been to survey the territory and see what our options are.

And one of the things I keep pining for is a place to go hear speakers like Susan Wise Bauer (maybe even stalk her and ask some real life questions) and to flip through these books before I buy them.

You know where I’m going with this, right? A homeschooling convention!

I think I’ve only been to two homeschooling conferences ever…. 2006 and 2008. I think I’m due for another. While I don’t expect it to solve all my problems, I am looking forward to hearing different voices and flipping through a multitude of books. And I’m going in May!

Life as MOM sponsor Great Homeschool Conventions has offered me a complimentary family pass to attend the Long Beach event. I am more than excited. And even though it’s a “family pass,” I’m actually hoping to leave the family at home. While Long Beach is not too far away from San Diego, I’m hoping for a great little overnighter with my main squeeze.

We aren’t big “homeschool movement” type folks. In fact, the FishFam probably doesn’t fit in any certain category of homeschoolers. There are folks who are much more conservative than us, as well as those that are more liberal. I don’t wear a jumper or tattoos. I cut my hair short. Hubs has a pierced ear.

In short, we just do what we do. But, that doesn’t mean we aren’t willing to hear what other folks have to say. And that is one of the things that attracted me to GHC. It appears that are presenting a range and a breadth to their convention that is atypical of the other conventions I’ve been to.

Five Conventions Nationwide

Among their speakers at their five different conventions this year:

• Susan Wise Bauer
• Andrew Pudewa
• Diana Waring
• Dr. Jay Wile
• Amanda Bennett
• David Hazel
• Chuck Colson
• Dr. Carol Reynolds
• Todd Wilson
• Sonya Shafer
• John Stonestreet
• John Rosemond
• Dr. Jonathan Sarfati
• Carl Kerby
• and Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine

Susan Wise Bauer and Andrew Pudewa have helped our homeschool tremendously, so I’m looking forward to hearing them speak in Long Beach in just a few months. Those of you in the Mid-west can even hear my friend Crystal Paine speak as well. Jealous!

In addition to a great lineup of speakers, there will also be huge Homeschool Curriculum Exhibit Halls and 100′s of Homeschooling Workshops. Great Homeschool Conventions are located all across the country, so there just may be one near you!

Southeast Homeschool Convention

Mar. 22–24, 2012
TD Convention Center, Greenville, SC

Mid South Homeschool Convention

Apr. 12–14, 2012
Memphis Convention Center, Memphis, TN

Cincinnati Homeschool Convention

April 19–21, 2012
Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati, OH

California Homeschool Convention

May 24–26, 2012
Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA

Northeast Homeschool Convention

June 14–6, 2012
Hartford Convention Center, Hartford, CT

I’m looking forward to the California Homeschool Convention as another way to get perspective and to breathe new life into what we do.

How do you reenergize for your homeschool?

Homeschool Makeover and Great Homeschool Conventions is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Teaching my boys to cook is a great way for us to eat well and spend less, while they live under my roof as well as after they fly the nest.

Ever since my firstborn could stand up on a kitchen chair, we’ve encouraged our kids to help in the kitchen.

(That’s he and I almost ten years ago. We were remodeling our kitchen, but that didn’t stop us from cooking up a storm together.)

Now that the older ones are older, I’ve realized that I haven’t done the best job in making them independent in the kitchen. In fact, the older kids have been usurped by the littler ones who want to help. We haven’t moved too far past someone standing on the kitchen chair helping mom.

Only the names have changed.

When Shaina told me last month that her five year old could bake cupcakes unassisted, I realized the error of my ways. In the name of a clean kitchen and conserving resources (ie ingredients flung about the kitchen), I’ve kept my children in the dark, or at least not allowed them to fend for themselves.

This month, as part of my Pantry Challenge and my food goals for the year, I set about to change that.

I just can’t do it all. Therefore, teaching my kids to cook will help us to eat well and spend less while they live in our home. I won’t be the sole cook and bottle washer or as tempted to run for take-out on a night when I’m just too tired. I can call in the reserves!

And teaching my boys to cook will help them to eat well and spend less once they leave our home as young men. They’ll be able to fend for themselves, be independent of restaurant fare, and possibly woo the girl, too.

While my younger three are 7, 5, and 3, and still quite suited to being assistants, my older three are definitely cooking school candidates. At 9, 11, and 14, they love to eat and are perfectly able to make part or all a meal.

If they know how.

So, that’s the mission I’m on. It hasn’t happened in three weeks’ time. No, I think this will be a year-long goal, but I’m hoping that by this time next year, I’ll have some full-fledged sous chefs on my hands.

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

1. Create a recipe book that is easy for them to access.

I enlisted FishBoy11 to help with this project: a family recipe book that everyone could access. My recipes are all over the place. How could they know that some are only online while others are on ratty recipe cards in my grandmother’s handwriting in a binder on the second to the top shelf of the bookcase in the schoolroom?

Yes, I’m complicated.

So, at the beginning of the month, I printed out copies of the month’s meal plan as well as the recipes to go with. He created dividers as well as a book cover, and compiled them all in a binder. Cool.

2. Enlist a child’s help with kitchen prep whenever possible.

A lot of my cooking this month has been hodge podge lately due to the Pantry Challenge. But, one thing that has been constant has been prep work as concerns all the fresh produce we get each week in a subscription box. Everyone is pretty eager to see what each week holds as well as to taste what’s included.

Kitchen prep lessons have involved juicing lemons, making lemonade, washing spinach, peeling sundry root vegetables, and otherwise exploring this world of strange and new fruits and vegetables. What WILL we do with those rutabagas and lemon grass, anyway?

As a result, the kids are learning about the produce as well as the techniques used to prepare it.

3. Offer cooking tutorials often.

As I’m cooking dinner each night, I’ve been more intentional about including a child in the prep work and/or offering a tutorial/running commentary about how to make a certain dish. I’ve given the rice pilaf lecture at least twice in the last three weeks.

I figure that repetition and visuals are helpful to learning and if I’m right there while someone’s stirring the pot, they will become more comfortable in the kitchen.

 What’s next?

As the month draws to a close, I’ll be enlisting their input on the meal plan for February as well as their help in a round of freezer cooking. Yes, this should be interesting….

But, I think that teaching my boys to cook and making them independent in the kitchen is a worthy goal for the year and a great way to eat well and spend less!

This post is part of an ongoing series about how to eat well and spend less. Along with some fabulous foodies, organizers, and frugalistas, I’ve been bringing you suggestions on how to eat like a king without becoming a pauper to do it. This month we’re discussing our food goals for the year.

From wasting less in the kitchen to saving money on healthy foods to eating better for baby, we’ve gotcha covered on all manner of tasty resolutions.

Be sure to check out what the other ladies are sharing this week or browse their archives:

• Aimee from Simple Bites
• Amy from Kingdom First Mom
• Carrie from Denver Bargains
• Katie from Good Life Eats
• Katie from Kitchen Stewardship
• Mandi from Life Your Way
• Shaina from Food for My Family
• Tammy from Tammy’s Recipes

Have you made any Food Resolutions this year?

Teaching My Boys to Cook (Eat Well, Spend Less) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Homeschooling can be the hardest and best of teaching jobs. But, mid-year we often need a little boost and perhaps even an Extreme Home(School) Makeover.

Twenty years ago, I set myself on a course to be a teacher. I was 19 and really wanted my life planned out. {chuckles} Little did I know back then….

Since my parents were teachers, it was definitely something I knew well. The teacher culture is unique just as is the policeman culture or that of the fireman. There’s verbiage and customs that ring true all across teacherdom. So choosing to be a teacher felt very natural.

Four years later I had a Bachelor’s, a Master’s and a teaching credential. Despite slim pickings in the local job market, I had also secured a teaching position two days AFTER the school year started. That first year I taught two different courses: American Literature and Beginning French. The year after that I had five preps (meaning five different classes to plan, teach and grade), more than one troubled student, several pairs of illogical parents to deal with, and a very stressful day.

Once I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t wait for our first baby to be born so I could “retire.”

Ha! Little did I know then that God would set us on a path, even during that last teaching year, to teach our children at home. By the time my newborn was in my arms, I was of the mindset that I would be his teacher.

And I have been. And it’s been the best teaching job I ever took.

It’s also becoming the hardest. For those of you who read my Getting Started in Homeschooling series last summer, you’ll know that this year I’m teaching five of our children at home while keeping the sixth one happy and out of trouble. Definitely a new pitch to my learning curve.

Almost halfway through our year, I’m dragging. This is hard! And I’m not doing it well! Ugh!

Yes, I know it could be just the winter blues, but I live in CA! Bad weather is not my excuse. My zest — and theirs — is missing. A friend mentioned that everyone struggles mid-year. That is good to know!

But, I don’t want to limp along the next 4 to 5 months. I want to reclaim my love for teaching and learning. And I want my kids to be able to welcome each new school day with fewer whines, groans, and complaints.

So, I’m embarking on a new project in these last two weeks of the semester:

An Extreme Home(School) Makeover

Yes, really. I’m going to live a better story with our school. Or at least try my darndest. After all, today is a new day.

I’ve only seen that Home Makeover show a few times. The Keeper of the Remote (also a carpenter) always rolls his eyes and moves on. But, I’ve seen it enough to identify these steps.

Even if you don’t homeschool, maybe you’ll be able to apply them to your current challenge.

1. Acknowledge that something isn’t quite right.

For me, I know that we’re not energetic or efficient. So, I ask myself: Why are we doing this again? What needs fixing? Redesigning? Refurbishing?

2. Gut the place.

While I’m not going to ditch everything, hubs did encourage me to entertain all opinions and options. I will confess to being biased in a certain direction, but I am trying to have an open mind in terms of teaching approaches. There are some structures I know I’m keeping in place and others that I’d be okay with tearing out.

Having survived more than one physical home remodel, I know that living with “the bare bones” for awhile is a good way to get perspective.

3. Seek outside opinions.

I emailed my list of homeschooling mamas I admire and respect, who also happen to be flung all over the map. As answers come trickling in, I’m learning that I am not alone. This is a hard job, but it’s nice to know there are others working to make it be one of the best. I’m determined to push through and learn from the challenges.

In addition to reading their emails, I ordered some books and have scheduled some reading time next week to do more research. I’m also visiting homeschooling sites and forums for more inspiration and to gain perspective.

4. Design.

This is the fun part. And I’m eager to start afresh somewhat. Find new books. Explore new field trips. Add some pizzazz to our days.

5. Be willing to call in subcontractors.

Last semester was the first time that we ever outsourced some subjects. And they were/are great experiences. We love the online Latin class as well as the local science lab class we enrolled in. I’m trying to keep my eyes and ears open for other opportunities for outsourcing.

6. See it through to completion.

This is the hard part. In the immortal words of Calvin, “The days are just packed!” But, I am dedicated to giving my kids a fun and enriching learning experience at home. I think we’ve seen success in years passed. This year just takes a little more tweaking than others.

Obviously, this is a work in progress. I don’t have any real answers or tricks, but I’m very excited about this little “remodeling” project. I have no idea where it will end up. But, I don’t want to wait for things to change. That was just plain depressing….

How do YOU reenergize how you spend your days?

An Extreme Home(School) Makeover is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

It’s a New Year!  And, while January certainly doesn’t usher in a new school year, it’s still a great time to take a good look at ways to make your child’s public school experience an even better and richer one. Contributor Jessie Leigh offers some great suggestions for parent-teacher communications.

photo source

The early months of a new school year are full of adjustments as we– and our children– get to know a whole new group of teachers and try to reestablish a routine.  Before you know it, the holidays arrive and it can feel like we’re out of school as much as we’re in!

But now, as we move into the later winter and spring months, things settle in and breaks tend to be shorter and more sporadic.  It’s a fabulous time to make a plan to establish strong communication with your child’s teacher.

Learn her preferred method of communication.

I have one child with an email-loving teacher and one whose teacher avoids the computer at all costs.  To keep everyone happy and engaged, it’s good to find out how your child’s teacher likes to touch base.  Would she prefer a quick note?  Does she like email?  Is there a good time to reach her on the phone?

Just like people are all different in how they prefer to contact, say, a customer service department, teachers are individuals and have different preferences.  Take the time to learn these.

It’s also a good idea to give her all your various contact info– home number, cell number, email, etc.  Let her know how you can be reached, so it doesn’t become an endless game of phone tag.

Don’t ambush her.

No matter what her personality, it is pretty much never a good idea to air your grievances during drop-off or pick-up. These are busy times and she already has a routine established– one that does not include an impromptu conference with you.

Even if you think it’s a minor issue, this is not the time to handle it.  With 20+ children in a class, “minor issues” can soon snowball into an overwhelming time-suck.  Conversation for these times should be of the “hello”, “goodbye”, “he might be a tad tired today”, etc. variety.  Quick, simple, to-the-point.

photo source

Think it through, but don’t let it fester.

Sometimes, the Mama-Bear in us rears its head and we react, strongly, to anything “negative” that happens to or is said about our children.   The initial gut reaction to, say, critical feedback scrawled across a child’s work might be anger or defensiveness.  Take a moment and step away.  Let those initial feelings mellow out, if possible, and consider objectively why the criticism was made.

If, after careful consideration, it still seems unfair or harsh, let the teacher know you’d like to talk about it.

Don’t just internalize it and think you’ll get over it– if you’ve given it some processing time and it still bugs you, it probably won’t just “go away.”  I have a perfectionistic little boy whose teacher recently started scrawling “See me!” in red across his work.  She would have no way of knowing how deeply this devastated him without my revealing a bit more about his personality.

Be clear and specific.

Let your child’s teacher know why you’d like to meet and/or chat.  This will help her determine how much time she might need to set aside for your conversation and if it can be handled over the phone or will require an in-person conference.

You might send a quick note, for example, that reads, “I’ve seen your feedback on Jenny’s math homework and I’m trying to help her better show her work.  I’m concerned that we’re not making adequate progress and would love more guidance as to your expectations.  Please let me know if you’d have a moment to discuss this.”

This will let Jenny’s teacher know what you need to talk about and will enable her to be prepared for your conversation.  This will save you both time.

Treat her as a partner.

You don’t have to agree with every single thing she does or believes in.  Accepting that upfront will make your relationship easier.  Recognize that your child’s teacher has a very important role, however, and treat her with respect.

You are on the same team and it’s best to focus on one another’s strengths rather than nit-picking your differences.

You have a decided advantage in that you’ve known your child for years.  Don’t resent her for not having all the info and background you do!  Help her to better understand your child’s unique personality and needs, while enjoying the new perspective fresh eyes can sometimes offer.

One of the greatest things I believe I do for my children’s education is work hard to establish good communication with their teachers.  I do not believe in just sending them out the door and washing my hands of responsibility.  Staying involved and informed helps me to see where they’re thriving and when they’re struggling.

Knowing how to effectively communicate with their teachers helps us to build strong relationships and ensure they are understood and receive the support and guidance they need.  In this new year, I’m resolved to keep those lines of communication strong and open.

How do you keep good communication with your child’s teacher?

– A mother of three, including a 24 week preemie, JessieLeigh is a determined advocate for even the tiniest of babies.  She can be found celebrating life’s (sometimes unexpected) miracles and blessings at Parenting Miracles.

Plan to Have Great Parent-Teacher Communication This Year is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Teacher gifts don’t need to be expensive or complicated. Today Life as MOM contributor, Jessie Leigh, shares three meaningful teacher gifts you can make with your kids.

It’s that time of year.

The turkey has been devoured, the leftovers packaged up, and our minds have turned toward Christmas. Ready or not, it will be here in a matter of weeks!

Along with all the beauty of the season, we often face overwhelming pressure as we set out to plan the “perfect” gifts for everyone on our lists. With each passing year, it feels like that list gets longer for our family. Not only have we been blessed to add in-laws and nieces and nephews to the mix, we’ve also added teachers, bus drivers, and therapists. The result? A whole lot of wonderful people in our lives and also a large group of individuals we’d like to recognize at the holidays.

There are oodles of good and appropriate gift giving options when it comes to these special people. Some popular ones? Gift cards, even for small denominations, are always welcome. Many times, several or all of the parents in a classroom will chip in together so that a larger gift is possible. The possibilities are endless. For our family, we stick to a strict budget and I like to involve my children as much as possible.

Here are three fun ways to give a meaningful gift that won’t break the bank and will allow for little helpers.

1. Make a homemade treat.

Last year, my two older children and I made some delicious homemade peppermint patties to give as gifts. Naturally gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, and even dairy-free (depending on the brand of chocolate chips), they’re a pretty good bet for a relatively “safe” food gift. And they’re tasty and festive!

There is NO cooking involved in this process (unless you count melting some chocolate), so they’re safe for the kids from start to finish. Another year, we did various flavors of homemade granola. There are plenty of good options– just keep it simple enough that you won’t get overwhelmed with little hands in the mix.

2. Make a “School Supply Care Package.”

While I dearly love to give people personal, pampering sorts of gifts, I’m also aware that sometimes the practical can be even more appreciated. Too many of our teachers, whether they broadcast it or not, are shelling out their own hard-earned dollars to supplement the supplies in their classrooms.

Kids love to be put on detective duty! Ask them what they go through all the time in their classrooms. See if they can find out her favorite kind of pen. These are things that will truly be used, rather than gather dust in some corner.

A few years back, my kids and made some of these muffin tin crayons for the preschool teacher. They ended up being perfect for a child who couldn’t yet manage to grip the typical chubby crayons. They were very appreciated and very used.

3. Just say thanks.

Finally, I want to tell you about the only gift I’ve ever given a teacher that has resulted in a tear-filled phone call brimming with joyful gratitude. Last year, my son’s kindergarten teacher sent home a lovely, humble letter requesting that we not send in gifts. What she would love most, she insisted, was a simple drawing done by our child.

He was happy to make a picture for her! Along with it, I wrote her a note. It wasn’t a terribly long note, but, in it, I told her how nervous we had been to have our son moving into kindergarten and how we fretted about whether he’d be assigned a “good fit.” I thanked her, sincerely, for being the perfect person to alleviate all those fears, for making his transition to kindergarten a joyful success.

It was, obviously, about as frugal as it gets. What it required from me was some thought and a little time. But that envelope– with my child’s careful drawing and my heartfelt note– were, I believe, as treasured as any other gift I’d given.

Creating a gift the fits your budget and personality while letting your kids feel like they have a role doesn’t have to be a complicated affair! But it always helps to do just a bit of planning and start a little early. A rushed mom has a tougher time being a “Yes Mom.”

12 Days of Christmas
This week we’re sharing quick and easy ideas for family fun while some friends are sharing tips in different areas.

• Christmas Homeschool Fun: 1+1+1=1
• Christmas Decorations: Songbird
• Tips for a Healthy Holiday: The Thrifty Mama
• Saving Money: Surviving the Stores
• Travel Tips: Mom’s Travel Tales
• Christmas Recipes: Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
• Homemade Christmas Gifts: The Happy Housewife

What do YOU do?

Do you have a go-to Christmas gift for the teachers, bus drivers, and therapists in your life? Do you prefer to do it all yourself or involve your children?

– JessieLeigh is the mother of a former 24-week micropreemie and two full-term blessings as well. She is a determined advocate for the tiniest of babies, including the unborn, and a firm believer in faith and miracles. She shares about raising such a precious, tiny baby over at Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles.

Meaningful Teacher Gifts You Can Make With Your Kids (12 Days of Family Fun) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

My family is down for the count. Last Friday FishChick3 was throwing up and feverish. The fever continued through the weekend and has now left us with a snotty-nosed, short-fused little one. Slowly, the rest of the kids AND FishPapa have succombed to the virus. I’m the only one still standing.

And yes, I’m downing the Vitamin C with everything in me.

I had planned on getting a great week of school in before the Thanksgiving holiday. But, as I’ve learned Life is subject to change.

How fitting that my recent post on Simple Homeschool is about just that: rolling with the punches of life. Hop on over and share your thoughts on what you do when plans don’t follow the plan.

When Life Hands You Sick Kids… is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

The following is written by Life as MOM contributor, JessieLeigh:

We all know one of “those families”– the ones who have their children’s lives so full and micro-managed that there’s not a single spare moment to breathe or relax. I definitely do not advocate over-scheduling little ones. I’m a firm believer in family-time, down-time, and prayer time. That being said, I do think that it’s possible to enrich your child’s school years through some carefully selected extracurricular activities.

Here are three broad categories to consider as you navigate the options:

Team Sports

Baseball, softball, basketball, football, soccer, and many others fall in this camp. Even preschool aged children can join many t-ball or youth soccer leagues. Not only do these sports help keep children healthy and active, but team sports also help your child work on teamwork, trusting, cooperation, turn-taking, and sportsmanship.

These activities require lots of interaction with other children and they help little ones learn to win, and lose, gracefully. A team sport helps teach young ones to cheer for one another and make choices that benefit the whole team rather than just the individual. Seeing a child choose to bunt the ball and take an out in order to bring his teammate home is truly a lovely thing!

Individual Sports

Sports like swimming, ballet, and the martial arts are often practiced as a group, but focus more on individual growth and development. As a child moves up the ranks from white to black belt, she is primarily competing against herself.

While swim teams and dance teams certainly exist, these are sports that can easily be practiced and developed individually. These teach independence, self-awareness, and self-confidence. A child’s success or lack there-of will rest, for the most part, on her own shoulder’s. There is a lot of responsibility in that. Like team sports, individual sports are wonderful for their role in keeping children strong, healthy, and active.

The Arts

While most schools do include Art and Music in their subject line-ups, extracurricular activities provide the opportunity to delve deeper and specialize more. Taking a painting class or studying the violin allows a child to explore his creative side.

Some children thrive on the almost mathematical nature of music (where there is a “right” answer/method) while others prefer total freedom and abandon in how they share their art. Either way, learning an instrument, being part of a chorus, or doing extra art work can help a child explore another side of learning and experience the joy of creating something all his own.

For our family, we try to limit each child to one or two activities at a time and, if they’re involved in more than one, we like to see them come from two different categories. They’re young yet, and practice times tend to minimal, so that’s what has worked for us, thus-far. For now, we find that our children still have plenty of time leftover to relax and rest-up.

What do YOU do?

Are your children involved in extracurricular activities? What are their favorites and why?

– JessieLeigh is the mother of a former 24-week micropreemie and two full-term blessings as well. She is a determined advocate for the tiniest of babies, including the unborn, and a firm believer in faith and miracles. She shares about raising such a precious, tiny baby over at Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles.

Extracurricular Activities to Supplement Academics is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

I have a big head. Seriously.

I have a bigger hat size than my husband. We call it “the Getskow head” after my maiden name. Some of my kids have the Getskow head. Others don’t. We laugh good-naturedly when the seven year old wears a larger bike helmet than his big brothers. He has a Getskow head.

I also have the corresponding confidence problem….

Hop on over to Simple Homeschool for the rest of the story.

My Biggest (Homeschooling) Mistake is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Over the last few months I’ve been offering a glimpse into our homeschool, my teacher brain, and offering suggestions for those of you interested in homeschooling, either for practical real life application or just plain old curiosity.

While I’ll still be sharing bits and pieces of homeschooling throughout the year, this post is officially wrapping up the series: Getting Started in Homeschooling. Below are questions I’ve received over the last few months about homeschooling, along with my answers. Many of these questions were addressed during the course of the series, but I’m posting them here in case you missed them and am linking back to past posts for further reference.

Please remember that my experience is just that — mine. You have different kids, a different personality, and a different life.

Your mileage may vary.

From Brenda

(my answers are in italics)

I know you are passionate about home schooling, and I would like to know more how you run things. I have a son in first grade and just wonder if he is getting challenged enough in public school. I never thought I would home school, but have been seriously considering it these past few weeks. I taught first grade for 4 years in public school, so I know I could do it. However I wonder if I could do it mentally with 2 younger kids running around and hopefully more to come.

How did you decide what curriculum to use?

Finding the right curriculum for our family has been a very organic process. At first, I used The Well Trained Mind’s recommendations. Then over time I realized which books and resources worked best for me and my kids. This has changed a little over time, but my kindergartner this year is doing many of the same activities that her older brother did 10 years ago.

We do a mix of resources, that is, I’ve never bought a “boxed curriculum” for an entire grade from a specific publisher. I know some families for whom this works really well. It just never appealed to me.

You can check out this post for the current curriculum that we are using.

How much time do you spend preparing every night for the next day?

Typically, I clock out of teacher mode by 4 pm each afternoon. I do most of my planning on the weekends and in the mornings before the kids awake. And sometimes, I just fly by the seat of my pants.

How did you do it with a brand new baby?

The new baby phase is actually the easiest season! Newborns sleep all the time — except at night, of course. We often got back into school when our babies were about 2 weeks old. Things got crazy once the baby was mobile and not satisfied to play with a few toys.

What books did you find were great to get you started or would help me decide if it is what I want to do?

I found two books to be pinnacle to my journey into homeschooling. They are old, as am I. And there may be newer books that are better? But these “sealed the deal” for me. 

• Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson
• The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

How do you get other things done around the house without wanting to pull your hair out everyday?

That is a very good question! No wonder I’m going bald….

My household notebook definitely helps me keep my homeschool a little more organized. Head here to read how. But there are still days, weeks, months, when life is challenging.

As I mentioned last week, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I can’t do everything every day, or even every week. So, I just try to find balance and hope for the best. The most important part is that I’m loving my kids and husband.

And that we can all read, eat, and wear clean underwear.

From Karrie

This coming school year will be my first full year schooling all of our school aged kids. (Four are school age and three below three.) This semester we are homeschooling our 3rd grader. I love your homeschool records binder, and color-coding each child. The kids have picked their colors, and we are working on plans for next year.

How do you label or divide each childs portfolio? And, have you made a year end “Who Am I?” questionnaire?

Since our state does not require portfolios, mine are not as organized as others might be. I like to keep a pocket folder, like the white, yellow, green, and blue ones pictured above. As we go through the year, I place important papers, essays, and art projects in these folders. In this way, I have a manageable record of the year’s studies. I keep samples from different seasons so that we can see the growth over time.

The Who Am I? questionnaires are here and here.

photo source: cristina thornburg photography

From Stacey

I’m a mom to two small children, but we already know we want to homeschool. In fact, we hope to homeschool from preschool through high school. As this is very new to me, I’ve been reading and researching, trying to prepare for the next several years. One thing I keep reading about is teaching to our childrens’ readiness. However, I’m not sure how to gauge that.

Do you have any tips and tricks to recognizing signs of readiness for reading, for math concepts? Any resources? Or is it trial and error: present a topic and wait to see if they get it? For all the things I’ve been reading about, this intimidates me the most in my lack of experience: being able to recognize my child’s readiness to learn.

Good question! Well, hmmm. I’ve always started the year with some basic ideas of what we would cover in each grade, based on the curriculum we were using. I also have relied on The Well Trained Mind to kind of guide me as to what I could expect. 

What I’ve found is that we try at four or five year of age to work on phonograms (letter sounds) and building on that, directed by the kid’s interest. Some kids pick it up faster than others. I try to keep at it on a regular schedule, a little each day. Sometimes they are eager beavers and sometimes they are reluctant to.

One of the tricks of parenting, as well as homeschooling, is to figure out if your child is reluctant because he isn’t capable, lacks confidence, or just doesn’t want to. That’s the million dollar question.

From Michelle

I was looking at the lesson plans you use for each child and wondering if they are handwritten in each week? And is that something you do over the weekend, or at the beginning of each school week? I’ve been homeschooling for six years now and I’m always looking to be more efficient in my weekly planning. I love learning from organized moms like you!

Some days I wonder how organized I am! I encounter chaos on a fairly regular basis. 

That said, I typically spend an hour or so on the weekend planning out our school for the next week. While the planning pages in my homeschool add-on are fillable, I find it easier to just print them all out at the beginning of the year and then pencil in the blanks. In this way, I can change something at any moment.

I wrote a guest post here that explains more about my homeschooling binder and over here about my kids’ assignment sheets and chore charts.

Are you getting started in homeschooling?

If you missed the series, you can always catch up:

• Deciding to Go For It
• Thoughts on Teaching High School
• Determining Your Educational Philosophy
• Selecting Teaching Resources for Homeschooling
• Knowing the Homeschool Laws in Your State
• Building Your Academic Calendar
• Tooling Up
• Creating a Daily Schedule or Routine
• Teaching More than One Child
• Homeschooling with Little Ones
• Our Curriculum for 2011-12
• Can You Afford to Homeschool?
• An At-Home Schoolroom
• A Typical Day

Homeschooling Q&A is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.